Sunday, September 18, 2011

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

How would you like to step forward into the future and find yourself back in the '80s?  1980s that is.

Wunderkind PR sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  I had been hearing a lot of buzz about it, so I was glad to get my own copy.  Crown Publishing has already published it, so you should be able to find a copy at your local bookstore now.

Mr. Cline creates an interesting concept for his story.  He sets it in the future, 2044, where almost everything is done online.  Nobody much goes out into the real world anymore.  Most live in a virtual world and play games all day.  They go to school in the virtual world, too.  Then he creates a man even richer than Bill Gates who creates the ultimate game; the prize is all his money and assets...

This is a geekie book.  I had no problem following even though I'm not a gamer, but I may have missed some references.  The fun part of the story is the fact that the author works in old video games that aren't popular anymore in this day and age, imagine how weird they must seem in 2044.  Mr. Cline's bad guys are a corporation that want the money and will do anything to acquire it, even murder.

The story covers a lot of time (it takes five years for the first key to be found) but the action keeps it moving fast.  You root for the little guys, but the corporation has multiple players and plays dirty.

The author's ending is smooth, the strings all tie together, and it was a very satisfying read.  If you enjoy mystery and intrigue, this book is for you.  Gamers should enjoy it, too.  Pick up a copy and see what you think.

Happy reading.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Sounds like a book I'll surely look for next time I'm at B & N, or my favorite indie store. Thanks for the mini review to get me interested.

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